Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

By Benjamin Franklin

Page 125

of our civil government, and almost at the sametime, imposing some duty upon me. The governor put me into thecommission of the peace; the corporation of the city chose me of thecommon council, and soon after an alderman; and the citizens at largechose me a burgess to represent them in Assembly. This latter stationwas the more agreeable to me, as I was at length tired with sittingthere to hear debates, in which, as clerk, I could take no part, andwhich were often so unentertaining that I was induc'd to amuse myselfwith making magic squares or circles, or anything to avoid weariness;and I conceiv'd my becoming a member would enlarge my power of doinggood. I would not, however, insinuate that my ambition was notflatter'd by all these promotions; it certainly was; for, consideringmy low beginning, they were great things to me; and they were stillmore pleasing, as being so many spontaneous testimonies of the publicgood opinion, and by me entirely unsolicited.

The office of justice of the peace I try'd a little, by attending afew courts, and sitting on the bench to hear causes; but finding thatmore knowledge of the common law than I possess'd was necessary to actin that station with credit, I gradually withdrew from it, excusingmyself by my being oblig'd to attend the higher duties of a legislatorin the Assembly. My election to this trust was repeated every year forten years, without my ever asking any elector for his vote, orsignifying, either directly or indirectly, any desire of being chosen.On taking my seat in the House, my son was appointed their clerk.

The year following, a treaty being to be held with the Indians atCarlisle, the governor sent a message to the House, proposing thatthey should nominate some of their members, to be join'd with somemembers of council, as commissioners for that purpose.[88] The Housenamed the speaker (Mr. Norris) and myself; and, being commission'd, wewent to Carlisle, and met the Indians accordingly.

[88] See the votes to have this more correctly.--_Marg. note._

As those people are extreamly apt to get drunk, and, when so, are veryquarrelsome and disorderly, we strictly forbade the selling anyliquor to them; and when they complain'd of this restriction, we toldthem that if they would continue sober during the treaty, we wouldgive them plenty of rum when business was over. They promis'd this,and they kept their promise, because they could get

Then taking the bottle in one hand, and bringing a
finger of the other near its mouth, a strong spark came from the water, and
the shock was as violent as if the wire had remained in it, which shewed
that the force did not lie in the wire.

But clouds formed by vapours raised from the sea, having both fires,
and particularly a great quantity of the electrical, support their water
strongly, raise it high, and being moved by winds may bring it over the
middle of the broadest continent from the middle of the widest ocean.

What is collected from the hand in the downward
rubbing stroke, entering the pores of the glass, and driving an equal
quantity out of the inner surface into the non-electric lining: and the
hand in passing up to take a second stroke, takes out again what had been
thrown into the outer surface, and then the inner surface receives back
again what it had given to the non-electric lining.